


Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

by Rudolph_Sackville_Bagg



Category: Der kleine Vampir | Little Vampire - Angela Sommer-Bodenburg, The Little Vampire (2000), The Little Vampire 3D (2017)
Genre: Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Falling In Love, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Vampire/Human Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:00:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27137672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rudolph_Sackville_Bagg/pseuds/Rudolph_Sackville_Bagg
Summary: Vampires aren’t homophobic. Never have been, never will be. Playing with gender roles kind of comes with the territory. So, Rudolph forgets that the human world isn’t as accepting.This results in him courting Tony rather brazenly and Tony being EXTREMELY flustered.
Relationships: Tony Thompson/Rudolph Sackville-Bagg
Comments: 83
Kudos: 194





	1. Parting is such sweet sorrow

“That was so much better than rollercoasters!” Tony giggled, still wobbling as Rudolph placed him gently onto the windowsill. Flying with Rudolph was by far the most fun he ever had. Tony loved the wind in his hair, the feeling of being weightless, the way his stomach flipped when Rudolph did loopty-loops, and the way the vampire boy’s chilled hand felt holding his own.

Rudolph floated outside the window, still holding Tony’s hand. He looked like a dancer, suspended in starlight. So graceful . . .

Rudolph looked down, took a deep breath, and then looked up at Tony with a serious expression in his deep, maroon eyes.

“Tomorrow’s your last night in Germany, isn’t it?”

Tony’s lungs deflated. He didn’t want to think about leaving. 

“Yeah . . .”

“Well.” Rudolph cleared his throat and floated closer. “I’ve been meaning to ask you. Tony Thompson, would you consider going on a date with a vampire?”

“Wh—what?” Tony sputtered. Date? What did Rudolph mean? What vampire wanted to date him? 

Rudolph adjusted the lapel of his leather jacket with the hand that wasn’t holding Tony’s, just like he had when he spun all the cold water off of Tony after Anna suggested he—

Oh. Of course. Anna. Tony frowned. Rudolph must have been setting him up with his sister. Tony thought Anna was cool, but did he want to go on a date with her? He wasn’t so sure. He’d never been on a date before. Tony didn’t feel any butterflies in his stomach when he was with Anna. Not like the butterflies he felt when Rudolph took him flying . . . But, Anna was brave, and smart, and very beautiful. He should say yes, right? There was no reason not to. He’d give it a shot. Sure, why not?

“Uh, I guess so.” Tony scratched the back of his head with the hand that wasn’t holding Rudolph’s.

Rudolph’s jaw dropped. He almost looked . . . offended? But then he shook his head and smiled softly.

“Tomorrow, at sunset, wait by the castle doors. And wear the nicest clothes you’ve packed.”

“O . . . Okay.”

Rudolph brought Tony’s hand to his cool lips and kissed his knuckles. Tony’s heart did a flip-flop, and he gulped. What was that for? Perhaps hand-kisses were just the standard vampire farewell? 

“Parting is such sweet sorrow.” Rudolph teased. “That I shall say good day ‘til it be morrow.”

And with that, Rudolph released Tony’s hand and flew off in the direction of his new bedroom just as a light pink sunrise crept over the horizon. 

Tony sat on his bed staring at the hand Rudolph kissed. His cheeks burned and his knuckles tingled where Rudolph’s lips had been. 

Oh, man . . . If Tony was going on a date with Anna tomorrow night, that meant tonight had been his last night hanging out with Rudolph. What had he done? He should have said he didn’t want to go on a date with Anna. He’d much rather go flying with Rudolph one last time, but it was too late now. 

“Uuugghh!” Tony flopped back on the bed, snatched a pillow, and smothered his face with it.


	2. In that case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The following evening . . .

Tony paced outside the castle doors looking at the dirt road, then up at the last streak of peach sunlight slinking under the horizon, then back at the ground. He wore dark brown dress shoes that were slightly too big for him, khaki slacks, and a maroon sweater over a white button-down. 

Tony tugged at his collar. He didn’t like the way it rubbed against his neck. Anna was sure to arrive at any moment, and she’d probably expect him to compliment her or something. Complimenting her wouldn’t be hard, but acting like he wasn’t already gearing up to turn Anna down by the end of the night would be difficult. 

Something tapped on Tony’s shoulder from above. He jumped, yelped, and spun around, searching the sky. Rudolph floated upside-down in front of Tony with his arms behind his back and a cheeky grin. He was wearing a very expensive-looking black suit, and he looked . . . wow. Just . . . wow. 

“Evening, mortal. You look ravishing.”

Tony’s cheeks flushed. 

“Wh . . . Where’s Anna?”

Rudolph’s brow furrowed in confusion. He swiveled right-side-up and floated to the ground. 

“Anna? I don’t know, probably toying with some mortal tourist, why would she—Oh. Oh, you thought—You thought you were going on a date with Anna.” Rudolph grimaced. 

Tony rocked back and forth on his heels.

“You mean, you weren’t setting me up with her?” The mortal had no clue what was going on, but at least it was starting to look like he wasn’t going to have to turn Anna down after all. 

Rudolph sighed.

“No, Tony. I was asking you to go on a date with _me_.” 

Tony’s eyes widened. Huh? Rudolph was . . . What? So when he said, “date a vampire” he meant . . . He meant him? Had Tony heard him correctly? Was he dreaming?

“If you’re not interested, I understand. In fact, Anna’s probably free tonight, and I’m sure she’d love to—“

“No!” Tony shouted much louder than he meant to. Rudolph smirked, and Tony’s ears burned. He hadn’t thought of Rudolph in . . . that way before. Not consciously, anyway. But Rudolph sure did live in his mind rent free. When Tony and his parents were out sight-seeing during the day, he leapt at any chance he got to gush about Rudolph, and his heart raced whenever his parents asked about him. Tony thought his enthusiasm about his vampire friend was simply an extension of his obsession with vampires in general, but now he felt stupid for only just realizing he had a gigantic crush on Rudolph since the moment he first laid eyes on him. 

“In that case . . .” Rudolph revealed the massive bouquet of dark red roses he’d been hiding behind his back and presented them to Tony with a deep bow. “I heard mortals like these.”

Tony’s jaw dropped.

“You . . . You got me flowers?” He stammered and blinked in disbelief as Rudolph placed the bouquet in his arms.

“Beautiful flowers for my beautiful flower.” He winked. 

Tony squeaked. No one had ever called him beautiful before. His mom called him her “handsome little man” all the time, but that was different. 

“Shall we?” Rudolph offered his hand, and Tony took it.

“Are we flying somewhere?”

“No." Rudolph chuckled. "We have to walk where we’re going tonight.”

Tony pouted, but then blushed when it dawned on him that Rudolph wasn’t holding his hand to help him fly. He was just holding it for the sake of holding it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Do you want to read about Tony and Rudolph's date? Comments keep me motivated to write. ;)


	3. Did my heart fly at your service

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to poepoe-the bunny, chaoticneautralbisexual, and draconicocelot on tumblr for inspiring me. You are wonderful.
> 
> This chapter includes a few lines in German, and I took a year of German a few years ago (so I'm not totally useless), but if any German speakers have corrections for me, I would be eternally grateful.

“Wow.” Tony’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped as two tuxedoed, vampire doormen opened large double doors to reveal the fanciest ballroom he had ever seen. Massive, sparkling chandeliers hung from the ceiling, which was three-stories high and painted with clouds and little cherubs. White and gold Grecian pillars held up the ceiling. Tables with white tablecloths occupied one half of the room, and elegantly dressed vampire couples waltzed about the other side of the room, many of them dancing in the air, accompanied by a string quartet. A running fountain covered in pink roses centered the scene. Tony flushed. He felt underdressed. 

“Do you like it?” Rudolph asked, squeezing Tony’s hand. Tony nodded, unable to speak just yet.

“Gestatten Sie mir, Ihnen Ihren Tisch zu zeigen.” Said a tall vampire woman in a black dress with a tight, blonde bun. Tony looked at Rudolph with mild panic in his eyes.

“Er ist Amerikaner.” Rudolph said to the hostess, nodding toward Tony. She held her hands to her heart.

“Oh, how cute.” The hostess looked at Tony’s giant bouquet in his right hand, and then at Tony’s left hand clasped with Rudolph’s. The mortal’s stomach clenched. Was she going to say something mean? Maybe they’d get kicked out. But, no. She just smiled at them and said, “Right this way.”

“Don’t worry, no one will try to eat you.” Rudolph whispered to Tony on the way to their table. “Everyone knows you’re the brave mortal who saved our clan.”

Tony had completely forgotten that vampires would find his blood delicious. He was too worried someone would take issue with the fact that he was a boy holding hands with another boy.

“Here you are.” The hostess presented a table in the far-left corner of the room with a perfect view of the fountain, dancers, and the string quartet. It was set with wine glasses for two, but only one plate and silverware set. 

“May we get a vase for the roses?” Rudolph asked.

“Of course.” The hostess took the roses from Tony, still smiling, and trotted off.

Rudolph pulled out Tony’s chair, and the mortal’s ears burned. He’d seen men do that for women in movies before, but he never imagined someone would do that for him. Especially not a boy. 

Right. So, this made Tony bi. That was kind of a scary thought, but it wasn’t the first time he considered the possibility that he might not be totally straight. Last year, at the dentist, he’d read an article in a teen magazine about a girl who realized she was in love with her female best friend. It scared Tony, because he could picture the same thing happening to him, but he consoled himself with the fact that he happened to have a little crush on a girl in his class at the time. Now that he was being forced to think about it, Tony had a few crushes on boys before, but he’d written them off as friend crushes, and he’d never really considered dating a boy until now.

“Are you going to sit down?” Rudolph raised an eyebrow. Oh, god. How long had Tony just been standing there?

“Sorry!” He sat down and squeaked when Rudolph lifted the entire chair with Tony in it to push it back in.

The vampire slid into the seat across from Tony and smoothed out the tablecloth in front of him. Tony wondered if Rudolph knew how handsome he was, without a reflection and all. His sharp facial features made him look like a hero from one of Tony’s comic books, and his _eyes_ . . . Rudolph’s deep, maroon eyes met Tony’s, and the mortal’s stomach swooped. He looked down at his plate.

“Are you okay, Tony?” 

“Yeah! I’m—This is awesome!—I just . . . I’ve never been on a date before. I don’t know what I’m doing.” He exhaled. It felt good to admit his cluelessness, even though it wasn’t the only thing he was nervous about. Rudolph smiled softly and reached across the table to hold Tony’s hand.

“Hear my soul speak. Of the very instant that I saw you, did my heart fly at your service.”

Tony was glad the waiter arrived with a glass vase of roses, because he was losing the ability to speak again. The vampire waiter had a black, waxed mustache and spoke with a thick German accent. It was obvious he wasn’t used to English speaking clientele. 

“Ve have ze finest Blutmischungen von aus Italien, Frankreich, Spanien, die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika, und hier in Deutschland.” He handed Rudolph a black, leather booklet of Blood Blends, then looked at Tony and covered his mouth with his hands. “Ach! Please, no vorry. Ve do not harm die Spender. Ist . . . Ist . . .”

“He’s trying to tell you that the blood at this fine establishment comes from consensual, ethical sources.” Rudolph interjected. “They do not harm the mortal donors.” 

“Oh. Cool!” Tony smiled and gave the waiter a double thumbs up, and the mustached vampire sighed with relief.

“Und, for you.” The waiter handed Tony a sheet of thick parchment paper with a short menu written in ornate calligraphy, but Tony couldn’t understand the German. He’d ask Rudolph for help rather than the flustered waiter, who bowed and left the boys to make their choices.

“Help, please.” Tony waved the parchment toward Rudolph, and Rudolph took it and read the options as if they were stanzas of a poem.

“Parfait and mousse from foie gras  
confit citrus fruits, elderflower foam  
________________________

Beef tartare  
jellied veal tail essence, ossietra,  
and char caviar  
________________________

Brown trout  
Orange, juniper, emulsion  
of young leeks and watercress  
________________________

Painted pork belly  
Dim Sum, Asia Sud  
________________________

Bleu d'Auvergne  
Blue cheese cream,  
dried apple, bergamot  
________________________

Pear Ice cream  
made from salted macadamia nut  
and nougat, passion fruit,  
Opaly and Guanaja chocolate”

“Are you sure that was English?” Tony asked. The fanciest meal the mortal ever had was a plateful of chocolate-covered fruit from the chocolate fountain at his aunt’s wedding. Rudolph tilted his head to the side and drummed his fingertips together.

“What would be your absolute favorite meal, Tony? I mean if you could have anything you wanted.”

Tony thought for a moment.

“Well, there’s a diner near my grandma’s house in Colorado Springs, Gino’s Diner. We only go a few times a year, but they make the best strawberry crepes, with super buttery sausages on the side. And apple juice. It’s not fancy at all, not like this, but I dream about those crepes.” Tony’s mouth watered at the thought.

“Then you shall have them.”

“Huh?”

Rudolph waived down the waiter with the waxed mustache. 

“Der Sterblicher benötigt erdbeer crepes, würstchen, und apfelsaft von Gino's Diner, Colorado Springs, Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika.” Rudolph said. Tony blinked in confusion.

“Wir können es in fünfundvierzig minuten haben. Ist das akzeptabel?” The waiter responded. All gibberish to Tony. Rudolph nodded.

“Und, zie Amerikanische Blutmischung für mich.” He winked at his mortal, and Tony blushed even though he had no idea what Rudolph said. The mustached waiter hurried off. Something about Rudolph winking made Tony feel all fizzy inside. 

“It’s going to take a bit longer, but you’ll have your strawberry crepes, my darling.”

Tony’s shoulders scrunched. Making special requests at restaurants made him uncomfortable. He didn’t want to inconvenience anyone.

“O-oh. They don’t have to make something special just for me.”

Rudolph chuckled and leaned back in his chair.

“The entire menu is for you, Tony. Do you see any other vampires eating mortal food?”

Tony’s eyes darted about the room. Not another plate insight. Of course. Vampires don’t eat. He knew that. Why hadn’t that fact occurred to him earlier?

“Hey.” Rudolph reached across the table to cover Tony’s hand with his own. “Don’t worry. I’ve already paid them handsomely, and they’re accustomed to special requests. The Hotel Schlotterstein is famous for its talented staff of Vampir Fledermäuse – vampires who can turn into bats.”

Tony bounced in his seat.

“So you _can_ turn into a bat!”

“ _I_ can’t.” Rudolph combed his fingers through his spiky hair, and Tony thought about how much he’d like to do the same. “But some vampires can, yes, and in bat form, they can fly much, much faster. It’s why this establishment is unmatched in customer service.”

“Wooow. That’s sooo cool.”

Rudolph sighed and smiled dreamily at Tony. The mortal felt so special whenever Rudolph looked at him like that. Last year, at Tony’s aunt’s wedding, he had looked to the groom’s face when his aunt first rounded the corner in her magnificent wedding dress. His soon-to-be uncle had stars in his eyes. Tony remembered thinking to himself, _“That’s what love looks like.”_ Now, every time Rudolph looked at Tony, it was just like that.

Rudolph stood up and offered Tony his hand.

“While we wait for our dinner to arrive, may I have this dance?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments have the power to make my entire day! Thank you.


	4. Do you know how to waltz, Tony?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waltzing for my friends @poepoe-thebunny and @draconicocelot on tumblr

Tony took Rudolph’s hand and followed him to the dance floor, and his heart fluttered against his ribcage. None of the other couples seemed to pay them much attention, which was a relief to Tony, but he remained on high alert, convinced that at any moment, someone was going to hurl homophobic slurs at them. Rudolph took Tony’s other hand and placed it on his shoulder.

“Do you know how to waltz, Tony?”

“Not really. We learned how to polka in gym class one time?”

“That’s okay.” Rudolph placed a hand on Tony’s waist and pulled him closer. “I do.”

“Wwwoooah!” 

Rudolph led Tony in whirling zig-zags across the dance floor. The adrenaline rush was comparable to when they were flying. Whenever Tony stumbled, Rudolph simply lifted him a few inches off the ground. With such a talented dance partner leading him, Tony felt as though he’d been waltzing all his life.

“You’re really good at this!” Tony beamed, completely forgetting to be anxious.

“I’ve had a few hundred years of practice.” Rudolph spun Tony under his arm without breaking his box-step pattern. “And we haven’t even gotten to the best part yet.”

“Huh?”

Tony thought Rudolph was about to lift him, but instead he tossed him way up into the air, high above the fountain.

“Waaaa!!!”

Just as gravity began to pull Tony back down, Rudolph caught him in the air, in waltz position. Tony gripped Rudolph’s shoulder for dear life. 

“Jesus Christ! You really think you can just yeet me whenever you want, don’t you?” He panted.

“Yes, I do.” Rudolph continued leading their dance, only a few feet below the glistening chandeliers, all while staying in time with the music. Tony kicked like he was treading water.

“I don’t know what to do with my feet.” 

“Just imagine you’re stepping on several little platforms scattered all throughout the air.”

“Um, okay?” Tony’s attempt to follow instructions only led to more flailing.

“We can work on that later.” Rudolph chuckled. “For now, just put your feet on top of my feet.”

Intentionally stepping on Rudolph’s shiny, black dress shoes brought the pair closer together, and the vampire pressed his cool cheek against Tony’s as they danced. Well, Rudolph danced, and Tony went along for the ride, feeling like the protagonist in a fairytale.

“Are you having fun, Tony?”

Feeling Rudolph’s cheek move against his own made Tony blush, and he wondered if Rudolph could feel the warmth.

“I’m having the time of my life.”

Rudolph stepped onto the top tier of the fountain, expertly dancing around the perimeter. 

“A little less nervous now, I hope?” He asked softly, and his cool breath tickled his mortal’s ear. Tony gulped.

“I’m just . . . I’m a little nervous that someone’s gonna, you know, say something rude.”

Rudolph stopped dancing and leaned back to search Tony’s eyes, and Tony stepped off onto the fountain ledge.

“Don’t worry, Tony, everyone starts learning to waltz sometime. No one’s judging you.”

“Rudolph.” Tony looked down at his feet, gawked at how far up they were, and looked back up into Rudolph’s eyes. “That’s not what I’m worried about. I’m worried because you’re a boy, and I’m a boy, and . . . and . . .”

“Oh, I’m such an imbecile.” Rudolph released Tony’s hand and waist to cradle his face in his palms, and Tony’s cheeks burned under his vampire’s cool touch. Rudolph looked at him like he was the most precious treasure in all the world.

“I forget that mortals aren’t as accepting as vampires. I’ve been so insensitive. I hope you can forgive me, my darling, my angel.”

“W—what do you mean by, ‘aren’t as accepting as vampires’?” Tony asked.

“Look there.” Rudolph released Tony’s face to gesture at a vampire couple waltzing with their faces so close they were almost kissing. As far as Tony could tell, they were both women wearing lavish, steampunk ballgowns. One had curly black hair and a lot of tattoos, and the other was a brunette with one side of her head shaved.

“And there.” Rudolph nodded towards a short, bald man in a purple suit dipping a much taller man wearing a top hat and a green suit. Why hadn’t Tony noticed them before? He must have been too focused on not being noticed himself.

“Ah, and also there.” Rudolph gestured to a couple leaning over their table and gazing into each other’s eyes. One was a woman with wavy purple hair, and the other had glasses and short brown hair. Tony didn’t have a good guess of the latter’s gender. Perhaps they were nonbinary.

“You see, vampires generally aren’t—er . . . what do mortals call it? Home of . . . ?”

“Homophobic?”

“That’s right! Vampires generally aren’t home of phobic. It’s never been a part of our culture to hate healthy, consensual love.”

Tony’s eyes widened. A whole world of people—well, not people exactly, but—a whole world in which homophobia just wasn’t a thing? He could hardly believe it.

“Really?”

“We’re not as strict with gender roles either. There are still some antiquated ideas about which spells male and female vampires can and cannot cast, but we’ve come a long way.”

“I uuhh . . . I actually didn’t totally know I was bi until . . . well, until today. Until you were about to back out of our date—which I didn’t know was supposed to be _our_ date—and then I had, like, a second to stop that from happening, because I really, really _did_ want to go on a date with you. And and I really like you. _Like like_ you. Like, a lot. I don’t know why I didn’t realize it was a crush before. But, it was! I mean, it is.” Tony realized how much he’d been word-vomiting and covered his mouth with his hand.

“Like like. What does that mean?” Rudolph rest his hands on Tony’s shoulders and then ran them down his arms until he was holding both of his mortal’s hands. Tony sucked in his lips and took a deep breath through his nose. Coming out of the closet and confessing his feelings to his crush at the same time was a lot.

“It means I more than like you.” Tony exhaled. 

Rudolph tilted his head to the side.

“More than like me . . . That’s love, then. So you love me, Tony?” Rudolph brought Tony’s hands to his cool lips and kissed his knuckles. 

Tony’s head swam, and he felt dizzy. Oh, god. Love? Who said anything about love? He didn’t mean . . . Or, did he? Did he love Rudolph? They’d only known each other a few weeks, and already Tony was calling him his best friend. And he never felt happier than he did when he was with Rudolph. But love was a big word. A _huge_ word. And Tony had only just admitted he wasn’t straight.

“I . . . I . . .” 

Rudolph noticed something over Tony’s shoulder, and his eyes sparkled.

“Ah, your dinner’s arrived! They got here early. Shall we?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't begin to tell you how happy your comments have made me. Thank you!


	5. Honestly, you started it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to @poepoe-thebunny for the inspiration about vampire courting rituals!

After a marvelous evening of chatting and dancing the night away, Rudolph walked Tony back to the front door of the castle. Stars shone brighter than ever before in the dark purple, cloudless sky, and a cool breeze filled the air with the smell of pine trees.

Tony held his bouquet of roses in one hand and Rudolph’s hand in the other, feeling much more confident and secure than he had the last time he stood in this spot. Rudolph turned to face him, and the moonlight highlighted his sharp facial features. How was he _that_ handsome? Really, Tony didn’t understand how the entire world didn’t have a crush on Rudolph.

“Thank you for a truly magnificent evening, Tony dearest.”

Even his voice was handsome. Rudolph brought Tony’s hand to his lips without breaking eye contact, and Tony’s stomach flip-flopped. 

“I had a great time too. I’m so glad the date was with you and not Anna. No offense to her, just . . . You know.”

Rudolph smiled and blew air out his nose.

“It makes sense now. That you thought the date was with Anna, I mean. Last night, when I asked if you would consider going on a date with a vampire and you said, “I guess so,” I must admit I was a little offended at your nonchalance. You see, in my mind, I’d been courting you for three weeks.”

“Courting me?”

“Honestly, you started it. When you let me stay in your room.”

“Huh?”

Rudolph crossed his arms and leaned back against the door.

“That’s a monumental step in vampire courting rituals. Quite forward of you, to be honest, not that I’m complaining.”

“I wasn’t trying to—I didn’t mean—I didn’t mean _with_ me with me!” Tony panicked. Rudolph waved his hands in front of him.

“Oh, no, no. Nothing like that. You see, sleeping in the same room—not the same coffin, just the same room—is a sign of deep and intimate trust. It essentially means, ‘I trust you not to kill me in my sleep.’ So, you can imagine my surprise when a weak little mortal—”

“I’m not weak!” Tony thrust his fists toward the ground. Rudolph stepped forward and placed his hands on Tony’s shoulders.

“You’re right. You’re not weak. In fact, you’re the bravest boy I’ve ever known.”

Tony’s heart thudded against his sternum and he flushed all over.

“B-Bravest boy? Not person?”

“The bravest person I’ve ever known would be my aunt Elizabeth, but that’s a story for another time. Now, I should let you sleep if I’m to see you off before dawn.” Rudolph released Tony’s shoulders and Tony pouted at the loss of his touch. He _was_ tired, though. Hearing Rudolph say the word, “sleep” made Tony yawn, and Rudolph’s face lit up with a warm smile.

“Even your yawns are irresistibly adorable.”

Tony squeaked and hid his face in his hands.

“I’ll see you in the morning, before sunrise, okay?” Rudolph said. “Gregory and Anna, and my mother and father, will likely come along as well.”

Tony drew his hands away from his face and nodded. 

The pair stood there looking at each other for what felt like an eternity. This was when people kiss, right? At the end of the date, at the front door? Tony’d never kissed anyone before. He didn’t know how. What if he messed it up? He was forgetting how to breathe properly.

Rudolph seemed to sense Tony’s anxiety. He cleared his throat and said, “Well, good night, mortal.” 

Oh no. Worrying about messing up his first kiss was making Tony do just that. Rudolph turned to leave, floating a few inches off the ground. Tony grabbed him by his elbow, pulled him down, and pressed his lips against Rudolph’s cool cheek.

For the three seconds Tony’s lips were on Rudolph’s cheek, his heart went crazy. He didn’t expect that to feel so nice. Rudolph’s cheek was smooth and soft and wow. When Tony pulled away from the cheek kiss, Rudolph was positively glowing.

“Yaaaaahooooo!” He shouted and bottle-rocketed up into the sky until Tony could barely see him. Tony laughed and hugged his bouquet of roses to his chest. He knew he was going to dream about this night for the rest of his life.


	6. We're happy you're happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Two updates in one day? I'm on a roll. (They're also both shorter chapters.)

Tony hoped he could sneak upstairs without waking up his parents, but they were waiting for him in the foyer, dressed in matching, light blue pajamas and with sheepish looks on their faces.

“Mooom, daaad, you didn’t have to stay up.” Tony whined.

“Sorry, kiddo, we can’t help but be a little worried when you’re out so late at night.” Bob Thompson explained.

“Even if you do have a strong, scary vampire to protect you.” Dottie Thompson added with a wink. Tony blushed and hid his face with his bouquet.

“What pretty flowers!” Dottie exclaimed. “Did Anna give you those?”

Oh Christ. Tony wasn’t prepared for this conversation. Should he lie? He couldn’t. His stomach twisted in knots. He knew his parents were accepting of the LGBT+ community—one of his mom’s friends divorced her abusive husband and married a woman a few years ago, and both of Tony’s parents seemed super happy about that—but this conversation, even if he knew it couldn’t end _too_ poorly, was a huge deal, and he’d already been through more emotions in one day than he had in thirteen years put together.

“Um . . . uhh . . . well, uhh . . .” Tony scratched the back of his head. His parents shared a look.

“Or . . .” Bob started. 

“Did Rudolph?” Dottie finished.

Tony gulped and buried his face deeper in the roses.

“Sweetheart, it’s okay.” Dottie wrapped Tony in a warm hug, closely followed by Bob. Tony’s shoulders relaxed. His parents smooshing him in a group hug never failed to make him feel better. Dottie peppered the top of Tony’s head with kisses.

“I like Rudolph, remember?” Bob said. “We both do.”

“We’re happy you’re happy.” Dottie squeezed Tony tighter. “You are happy, aren’t you?”

Tony started crying, and once he started, he couldn’t stop. Hot tears streamed down his face, and he shook with sobs. Dottie bent down and held Tony’s shaking upper arms.

“Sweetie, sweetheart, what’s wrong?” She pushed his bangs back and searched his eyes, and Tony cried harder. “Did something happen?”

“N-No. I’m f-fine.” Tony blubbered. “I’m just . . . I’m just . . . Happy.”

Tony’s parents smooshed him in another group hug, and he laughed through his tears. He had the best parents in the whole world, and he knew many other LGBT+ kids weren’t as lucky. He wished everyone’s coming out experience could be as loving as his was.

“We love you sooo much.” Bob said, ruffling Tony’s hair. “And we’ve already made plans to save up for another trip to Germany next year.”

“Really?” Tony asked. His parents each gave him a little shoulder squeeze and started walking upstairs, and Tony followed, wiping off his tears with the sleeve of his maroon sweater.

“Perhaps we can convince the Sackville-Baggs to visit San Diego in between, too.” Said Dottie.

“Yeah!” Tony bounced. Today was a great day. A perfect day. How had he yawned earlier? There was no way he was falling asleep tonight. Maybe the Sackville-Baggs could visit for winter break. That was only a few months away. He could take Rudolph sledding, and ice skating, and he could show him all his favorite Christmas movies on the couch with hot cocoa.

Tony’s parents stopped by their door.

“Remember to set your alarm for five AM.” Bob put his arm around Dottie.

“And go right to bed, young man.” She added. “That’s only five hours away.” 

“Okay, okay.” Tony walked towards his room, then stopped and turned as his parents were halfway through their door.

“Mom? Dad?”

They turned towards their son. Tony took a deep breath. He had to say it. He had to say the actual words.

“I’m bi.”

“Okay. Cool!” Bob smiled. Dottie leaned against her husband.

“Thanks for telling us, sweetie.” 

Tony exhaled. He did it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love Bob and Dottie Thompson.
> 
> Also, are you all proud of Tony? I sure am.
> 
> (I'm very lucky and had a similarly sweet coming out experience with my parents.)


	7. Definitely Love

Tony’s alarm blared into his eardrum and he groaned, tapping his phone screen five times before he finally hit the button to shut it off. “5:00 AM” shone over Tony’s lock screen image of a hero from one of his vintage, vampire comics. Ugh, he didn’t want to get up. Why was he so tired?

Oh, right! _Rudolph._ He’d almost forgotten last night was the best night of his whole life. That date was real, right? He hadn’t dreamed it? Maybe it was a dream. It was too perfect, too magical, to be real.

Tony heard music. His phone? No, not his phone. He sat up and rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands. It sounded like . . . an electric bass guitar strumming a steady beat. Could it be coming from outside the window?

Tony, dressed in his favorite blue and green striped pajamas, yawned and stretched as he got out of bed, padded over to his window, and pushed apart the heavy red curtains revealing quite the spectacle.

Rudolph, shining in the moonlight and even more handsome than Tony remembered, floated about eight feet outside Tony’s window, with Anna and Gregory at his shoulders. Gregory was strumming a bright purple, electric bass guitar, which magically sounded without being plugged into an amp or anything. Anna held a light brown acoustic guitar. Behind and off to the left, Freda Sackville-Bagg held a violin to her shoulder with her chin, bow at the ready. Tony blinked, unsure if he was hallucinating or not. And then, Rudolph slowly sang, joined by the guitar and violin.

([You can listen along to Rudolph Sackville-Bagg singing "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles by clicking on this Soundcloud link](https://soundcloud.com/user-545556141/i-want-to-hold-your-hand-rudolph))

 ** _“Yeah I’ll tell you something.  
I think you’ll understand.  
When I say that something.  
I want to hold your hand."_** Tony’s heart melted. He crawled onto the window ledge and pushed open the glass.  
**_"I want to hold your hand.  
I want to hold your hand.”_**

 ** _“Oh, please say to me  
You’ll let me be your man."_** Tony hugged his knees to his chest as the butterflies in his stomach went nutso.  
**_"And please say to me  
You’ll let me old your hand.  
Now, let me hold your hand."_** This sort of thing didn’t happen in real life. Was he really getting serenaded by the boy he loved?  
**_"I want to hold your hand.”_**  
Tony choked on his own spit. Love. He just thought the word  
“love.”

 ** _“And when I touch you I feel alive inside.  
It’s such a feeling that my love  
I can’t hide  
I can’t hide  
I can’t hide.  
Yeah you, you got that something.  
I think you’ll understand.  
When I feel that something  
I want to hold your hand.”_**  
Love. Definitely love.  
**_“I want to hold your hand.  
I want to hold your hand._**

**_I want to hold your hand.”_**

Wow. That was . . . wow. Rudolph was . . . Wow. Rudolph glanced at his sister, who gave Tony a look that made him realize he was just sitting there staring at them. 

Tony applauded so vigorously his palms stung, and Rudolph grinned. Gregory gave him a congratulatory pat on the back violent enough to hurl him toward Tony’s open window. He caught himself on the ledge, their faces inches apart, and Tony’s heart leapt.

“Th-that was . . . That was sooo cooool.” He swooned.

“Did you _like_ like it?” Rudolph asked, his eyes round and hopeful.

“I loved it.” Tony’s gaze flickered down to Rudolph’s lips, then back to his dazzling, ruby red eyes. He leaned forward, and Rudolph’s eyelids drooped. Tony wanted nothing more than to close the space between them. He could feel Rudolph’s cool breath on his lips, and his heart was screaming at him to just kiss him already. But Tony could also feel the rest of Rudolph’s family watching them.

“Rudolph?”

“Yes, Tony?” Rudolph breathed.

“I really want to kiss you, just . . . not in front of your family.”

“I understand that.” Rudolph took Tony’s hand and kissed his knuckles. “I’ll wait for you in front of the castle, okay? To see you off.” Rudolph blinked up at the stars, like he was trying not to cry.

Oh, that’s right. Last night was Tony’s final night in Germany, and now he didn’t know when he’d see Rudolph next. His heart sank. He was so happy last night, it never hit him that he’d only just fallen in love and now he was forced to leave the boy of his dreams behind.

Tony nodded, brought Rudolph’s hand to his lips, and pecked it, bringing a glowing smile to Rudolph’s face.

“Make haste, my darling. We have but an hour of night before sunrise.”

“I’m all packed. I just have to get dressed and brush my teeth, so as long as my parents hurry, I should be down in, like, ten minutes.”

Rudolph released Tony’s hands and floated backward to join his family. Tony addressed all four of them.

“That was awesome, you guys. Thanks.”

Freda Sackville-Bagg smiled and bowed her head.

“Anything for the brave mortal who’s captured my son’s heart. I haven’t seen him this alive since his cheeks were pink and his eyes were green.” She put her hands on her heart and looked fondly at her youngest son.

“You had green eyes?” Tony asked Rudolph. He couldn’t imagine Rudolph with green eyes; he loved his ruby red ones too much. There was that word again. “Loved.” Now that Tony had allowed himself to think it, he couldn’t stop thinking it. He loved Rudolph. He loved him, he loved him, he loved him. It felt good to think it, but Tony knew it would feel even better to say it.

“Yes, my eyes were green three hundred years ago.” Rudolph raked his fingers through his hair.

“It seems like only yesterday.” Freda mused with her hand on her heart. Rudolph’s eyebrows knit together, and he looked down. Maybe he wished his eyes were still green.

“I like your red ones.” Tony assured. Rudolph looked up at him, with _that_ look. The one that was like he was saying, “I love you” with his eyes.

“You do?”

Tony blushed and nodded. Anna swung her guitar behind her back and clapped her hands once loudly.

“Okay, Tony, get a move on.”

Tony straightened up and hopped off the window ledge into his bedroom.

“Right, right. Ten minutes! I’ll see you in ten minutes!”


	8. Connected Heart to Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Shy_Kitty for the hoodie idea!

Tony burst out the castle doors wearing a black backpack covered in comic book pins, a white t-shirt with his red hoodie tied around his waist, and he dragged a large, navy-blue duffle bag on wheels behind him. Rudolph and his entire family (including Fredrik, this time), were waiting in the grass. Tony dropped his duffle bag and ran into Rudolph’s open arms.

“I don’t want to go.” He said so only Rudolph could hear. Rudolph held him tightly.

“I wish you could stay.”

That reminded Tony what his parents said about visiting again next year, and how maybe the Sackville-Baggs could visit before then, too. He gripped Rudolph’s shoulders and bounced on his toes.

“My parents said we can visit again next year!” 

Tony’s mom and dad were loading their luggage into the bottom of their rental trailer.

“That’s the plan!” Bob called back. “As long as I’ve calculated our finances correctly.”

“And maybe . . .” Tony scurried over to Freda. He felt safe asking her about a potential visit to San Diego. She was starting to feel like family. “Maybe you all can visit us in between now and then? Like, maybe winter break?”

Freda smiled and opened her mouth to speak, but Fredrik spoke first.

“We’re not Vampir Fledermäuse. We’d never make it across the ocean before sunrise.”

Tony’s chest tightened. Maybe he’d have to wait a whole year before seeing Rudolph again. Rudolph took his hand and squeezed it.

“We could fly in an airplane.” Freda’s velvety voice caressed the air and she batted her eyelashes at her husband. “I’ve always wondered what that would be like.” 

Fredrik melted a little, but he clearly wasn’t fully convinced.

“Surrounded by mortals? Freda, you can’t be serious. We’d have to put a muzzle on Gregory here. Not to mention the danger we’d be putting ourselves in if someone discovered what we are.”

Freda massaged her husband’s shoulders and purred into his ear. “Dottie Thompson’s shown me how mortal makeup has advanced. The coverage is really quite astonishing.”

“B-but . . .” Fredrik stuttered.

“Look at your son. Three hundred and thirteen years of perpetual loneliness, and now . . . He’s in love, Fredrik.”

Rudolph gave Tony _that_ look. The one that made him weak in the knees. How could it be that only yesterday morning, Tony hadn’t realized he was already head over heels in love with Rudolph Sackville-Bagg? All these feelings—the heart leaping, the stomach swooping, the swooning—They were there since the day he met him, he just hadn’t given words to his emotions. Now that he had the words, he couldn’t wait to say them.

Freda traced her husband’s jawline, turning his face to look back into her eyes.

“I can’t help but be reminded of a young Fredrik Sackville-Bagg back in eighteenth century Transylvania, when he swept me off my feet with a song outside my window.”

Fredrik visibly softened.

“Well.” He cleared his throat. “Perhaps, with this new mortal makeup you speak of, an airplane could be an acceptable method of transportation.”

Tony and Rudolph gripped each other’s forearms, delighted.

“But!” Fredrik announced. “No one is to speak to a mortal. No one is to so much as _look_ at a mortal. Do you understand me? If any one of you opens your mouth, we’ll be taking our leave through the emergency exit.”

Rudolph flew to Fredrik and hugged him tightly.

“Thank you, Father.”

Fredrik stiffened but then held Rudolph close. It was a heartwarming sight. Tony got the sense it had been a long time since Rudolph last hugged his dad.

“Now.” Rudolph turned to Tony, smiling brilliantly. “Let me help you with that.” He lifted Tony’s duffle bag and tossed it between his hands like a basketball.

“Showoff.” Anna scoffed.

Tony didn’t mind that Rudolph was a showoff. He was impressed. That duffle bag was full of books, and it was so heavy he got an extra charge checking his baggage on the flight to Germany.

Rudolph placed the duffle bag in the luggage compartment under the Thompsons’ rental trailer, then stood with his hands on his hips, looking to Tony for approval.

“Thanks.” Tony smiled dreamily.

Rudolph squinted toward the horizon, which remained a dark blue.

“By the looks of it, we have about twenty minutes left before the sun.” He flew to Tony and held both his hands. “May I borrow you?” 

Tony looked to his parents for approval. They were leaning on the trailer a few feet away.

“Just make sure you really are back in twenty minutes, okay?” Dottie said. 

“We don’t wanna miss our flight.” Bob added.

Tony nodded and Rudolph lifted them both into the air. Adrenaline carbonated Tony’s blood. He’d never get sick of flying. Never ever. He must have had a funny facial expression, because Rudolph looked smug.

They landed sitting side-by-side on the roof of the castle, gazing over the vast sea of evergreens. In the moonlight, with the way the wind blew through the pines, it almost looked like an actual sea. 

Tony was struck by how chiseled Rudolph’s facial features were in profile, like a statue of a god.

“These past few weeks have been the best weeks of my life.” Tony said. Rudolph placed his cool hand on top of Tony’s on the shingles.

“Mine as well. For three centuries, I felt nothing but boredom until I met you. You taught me how to have fun again, and you’ve made me feel alive. Can I . . . Can I show you something?”

Tony nodded, and Rudolph took his hand and placed it on his chest, over his heart. Tony frowned in confusion.

“I don’t feel anything. I mean, aren’t you—”

_Thu-thump._

Tony gasped. That was a heartbeat. There was no mistaking it. 

“It does that every so often.“ Rudolph smiled softly. “But only when I’m with you.”

Tony’s own heart fluttered wildly, and his stomach swooped. This was the perfect time to say those three words he so badly wanted to say. Why was it so difficult? He was almost certain Rudolph felt the same. Okay, okay, he could do this. Tony looked down, breathed in deeply through his nose, and then looked up into Rudolph’s mesmerizing eyes.

“Rudolph? I love you.” There. He said it. Oh my god, he said it. He couldn’t believe he said it.

Rudolph swooned.

“I love you too, Tony. Oh, how I love you.”

Both boys leaned in together. When their lips met, electric shocks burst from the center of Tony’s heart and radiated to the tips of his toes. Rudolph’s lips were cool, and smooth, and soft, and _Rudolph’s._

Rudolph pulled away way too soon, and Tony made a little grunt of protest. 

“Somehow, that was even better than I dreamed it would be.” Rudolph grinned. Tony placed his hands on Rudolph’s shoulders.

“Can we do that again?” He asked.

Rudolph’s eyelids drooped and he brushed his nose against Tony’s. Tony sighed and his eyes fluttered shut. He’d never felt a bliss like this before. Rudolph’s cool breath against his lips made his brain feel all fizzy and warm. 

Rudolph closed his lips on Tony’s lower lip and hummed happily, and again electric shocks coursed through Tony’s veins. Kissing Rudolph was heaven. Better than strawberry crepes, better than rollercoasters, even better than flying. 

Tony tilted his head to the side and pressed into the kiss at another angle, and Rudolph reached up to hold Tony’s face in his hands. Tony loved when Rudolph held his face like that. He loved Rudolph’s slender, graceful fingers, and he loved how cherished he made him feel.

Rudolph rest his forehead against his mortal’s, and Tony breathed deeply, trying to etch this perfect moment into his memory. Rudolph smelled like fresh earth after rain, mixed with the subtle, nostalgic scent of leather and something spicy sweet. Cinnamon, maybe. God, he smelled so good. 

“Tony, would it make you nervous if I told you that you smell delicious?”

Tony’s cheeks flushed and the burn spread to his ears.

“No, I was just thinking the same thing about you.”

A brilliant idea popped into Tony’s head and he straightened up and untied his red hoodie from around his waist. This way, Rudolph could keep something that smelled like him, so he wouldn’t forget. Plus, the idea of Rudolph wearing his hoodie made his stomach feel all swirly.

“Here, I want you to keep this until we see each other again.” He placed his hoodie in Rudolph’s hands, and Rudolph blinked in disbelief.

“You’re letting me have this? Are you sure?”

“Totally. You know how you said you’ve been . . . courting me? That’s, like, vampire dating culture, right?”

“That’s right.” Rudolph hugged the sweatshirt to his chest.

“Well,” Tony continued, “I guess it’s sort of modern dating culture to wear your boyfriend’s hoodie.” Tony was too shy to look at Rudolph’s face, so he focused on picking pebbles from the shingles. He looked up when he heard the sound of leather shifting off fabric.

“Then you must wear my jacket as well.” Rudolph said.

Tony’s eyes widened. 

“Wh—wha . . . ?”

Rudolph’s leather jacket was sooo cooool and probably expensive. The thought of keeping it was making his head swim. Plus, there was the fact that he’d never seen Rudolph without it, and therefore he’d never seen him with short sleeves before. How come that made Tony forget how to talk? Jeez. 

Rudolph held out the jacket to help Tony put it on, and Tony slipped his arms in one by one. The jacket fit snuggly, and it smelled _amazing_.

“You look magnificent. Positively bewitching. What a lucky boyfriend I am.” Rudolph adjusted Tony’s lapels and let his gaze linger on his lips. Tony closed his eyes, hopeful for another kiss, until Gregory’s booming voice made him nearly jump out of his skin.

“Rudy! Tony! Enough making out! Tony’s parents say it’s time to go.”

“Gregory!” Rudolph rolled his eyes and stood up. He offered his hand and helped Tony up, always a gentleman, even while being teased by his older brother. Then, he pulled Tony’s (now _his_ ) hoodie over his head, messing up his hair in the process. Tony giggled. Rudolph just got cuter the messier his hair was. And wow, he looked great in his hoodie. Soft. Like he’d be a perfect pillow to snuggle up with while watching a movie.

Gregory smiled at Tony wearing Rudolph’s jacket.

“You look—What was that word again? Oh, yes! You look cool in that.” He raised an eyebrow at his little brother. “Rudy, you look ridiculous.”

Rudolph narrowed his eyes, grabbed Tony’s hand, and unceremoniously stepped off the roof. Tony wasn’t prepared, and he yelped as he was tugged over the edge. Their shoes landed on the gravel in front of the castle doors with a soft thud.

“Okay, kiddo, I’m afraid it’s that time.” Dottie opened the back door of the truck. Bob was already sitting in the driver’s seat. Tony squeezed Rudolph’s hand.

“Ten more minutes?” He pleaded.

“I’m afraid we can’t afford that.” Gregory frowned up at the horizon where dark blue met a thin stripe of pink. The Sackville-Bagg family shifted nervously. Oh, man, Tony wasn’t just going to miss Rudolph (though, he’d miss him the most). He was going to miss all of them. He rushed toward Gregory, Anna, Freda, and Fredrik and scooped them into a big group hug.

“I’m gonna miss you all so much!”

Anna laughed.

“Rudy’s right. You _are_ the strangest mortal.”

“And we’ll miss you too.” Freda added. Tony released them, feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

“For saving our clan, we are forever in your debt.” Fredrik bowed, and Tony beamed. He’d never get sick of hearing how he saved an entire clan of vampires from an infamous vampire hunter.

“Tony, the sun!” Rudolph called from behind him. Tony spun around and saw light pink rays creeping further over the horizon. No, no, he didn’t want to leave. How could he leave Rudolph? He couldn’t, but he had to. He couldn’t miss his flight, and more importantly, Rudolph couldn’t stay outside much longer before burning to a crisp.

“Um, can everyone except Rudolph like, uhh . . . Turn around or close your eyes for just a sec? Please?” A panicked Tony asked. To his relief, both families complied to his request. Rudolph raised an eyebrow, and Tony ran toward him, threw his arms over his shoulders and—

“Mmmph!”

—smashed his lips against Rudolph’s. Rudolph jolted in surprise, but then wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist and held him close. 

_Thu-Thump._

Rudolph’s heart beat against Tony’s chest, and Tony wished he could hold him there forever. He tilted his head to capture Rudolph’s lips at another angle, and Rudolph sighed into the kiss. Oh, Tony loved him. He loved him, he loved him, he loved him.

“Tony!” Tony’s dad’s voice brought him back into reality. “We gotta get a move on!”

“Coming!” Tony yelled back. Then he squeaked.

“Ah wait! I almost forgot! Look in your hoodie pocket.”

Rudolph retrieved a folded piece of loose-leaf paper from inside the hoodie pocket and unfolded it to reveal a phone number written in black sharpie.

“You can call me on the landline at the bed and breakfast.” Tony said.

Rudolph kissed the note and held it to his heart.

“Every day, if you’ll let me.”

Tony reluctantly made his way to his family’s truck, waving goodbye to the Sackville-Bagg family with a heart both heavy and full. Once the truck took off down the road, the Sackville-Baggs growing smaller and smaller in the distance, Tony hung out the window and shouted.

“Hey, Rudolph!”

“Yes?” He shouted back.

“I love you!”

Rudolph did a backward loopty-loop in the air.

“I love you too!” 

Tony giggled, melted back down into his seat, and re-buckled his seatbelt with a dopey grin on his face. 

“You’ve known each other for three weeks.” Dottie Thompson chuckled. “Don’t you think, ‘love’ is a bit much?”

“No.” Tony replied with confidence.

“Well, okay.” She nodded.

Tony was confident that this love was real. And big. Like, once in a lifetime big. Maybe once in several centuries big. The magnitude of his feelings was a little scary, but it was comforting at the same time. He felt as though the universe was held together by infinite puzzle pieces, most connected, but many not. When two pieces connected, more and more connected, rippling outwards and bringing clarity and strength to the whole. Tony’s hand was a puzzle piece of the universe, and its matching piece was Rudolph’s hand. It might be a while before he’d hold his hand again, but Tony had no doubt that they were connected heart to heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read this, from the bottom of my heart! 
> 
> This is the end, for now, although I could be convinced to write Part 2 (in which the Sackville-Baggs visit San Diego for winter break).


End file.
